My Teaching Philosophy

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For me, teaching is a calling. From my earliest childhood memories, I remember loving to play “school.” This love of the entire process of learning has followed me throughout the changes in my career path. In any role, regardless of whether I am acting in the formal roles of “instructor” or “student,” I seek to learn and to teach.
Student affairs and higher education is my chosen career path. In my faculty and professional roles, I consider mentoring, supervising and teaching the next generation of thought and practice leaders to be a wonderful privilege. Giving back to the profession I love and believe in is one of the primary motivators behind my teaching. By teaching the teachers, I know that my work can have an impact on college students far beyond those with whom I have immediate contact.
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Education Radicals: An Evolution of Image

At left, Michelle Rhee’s Time Magazine cover from 2008 when she was Chancellor of the Washington, DC schools. At right, two years later in 2010 after she resigned from office.
Education and politics are littered with change sagas and heroes. I find individuals who enact radical change, however, to be particularly interesting. It always intrigues me how the image of these public figures evolves over time. They often undergo the journey from being viewed as controversial autocrats to being hailed as trail-blazing visionaries (well, at least the “successful” ones, anyway). When confronted with these stories, I always wonder if I would possess the strength to endure the public scrutiny and be up for the challenge of being one of these change agents.
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